Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki discovered a “new” star that was really a Nova in Delphinus.
The next day after the report the scientists at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) atop Mt. Wilson pointed the world’s largest infrared telescope at the event for the next 27 days.
The CHARA group was able to obtain the highest resolution images ever of an expanding nova in its earliest stages. Although we are seeing it now, the nova actually occurred 15,000 years ago.
The CHARA Array uses the principles of optical interferometry to combine the light from six telescopes to create images with very high resolution, equivalent to a telescope with a diameter of more than 300 meters. This makes it capable of seeing details far smaller in angular extent than traditional telescopes on the ground or in space. It has the power to resolve an object the size of a U.S nickel on top of the Eiffel tower in Paris from the distance of Los Angeles, California.
Although located a couple of miles up the road from my house in Pasadena, the CHARA Array is operated by funding from the National Science Foundation and Georgia State’s College of Arts and Sciences.
- Ex astris, scientia -
I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California and I am a Rising Star as rated by Super Lawyers Magazine. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +
Norman
